The wonderful people over at PinkCherry.Com were nice enough to send me a number of kinky items to compare and contrast with each other. They also sent me two of each of these items to give away on Pleasurists, and that contest will come out soon so keep your eye out!

Each of these items are quite affordable, all under $15 on PinkCherry.Com. With sex toys, usually you get what you pay for, so the more you pay the higher the quality, and for the most part that’s true. These items are not heavy duty leather, nor do they have fancy bells and whistles, however they all do exactly what they are meant to do while being very affordable and fun to use.

Some duplicate information in video and text.

Japanese Love Rope

This purple Japanese Love Rope is very basic. It comes with finished edges and has a little 16-page booklet included with it as well which has a lot of great basic rope safety information as well as a few ties within it. The rope itself is a gorgeous purple color and is very soft and feels nice against the skin, though it could easily leave pretty rope marks as well. It is 3 meters or 10 feet long.

Onyx and I have played with the rope a few times, it is great for a few of the ties in the Two Knotty Boys book, mostly basic wrist and ankle ties since it is not terribly long. It is wonderfully smooth and the purple color is simply gorgeous against the skin.

Taboo Kinky Cuffs

These Taboo Kinky Cuffs are fun and easy to use. What I like most about them is that they are made out of neoprene, which is made to use wetsuits and is 100% water friendly (so says the back of the package). They velcro to close and easily fit both large and small wrists and they are strong and very easy to use.

As you can see from the image, they say “Don’t Stop” on them, so they’re a little campy and fun, not strictly serious, though the writing is easy to ignore as well. They would be fun as a kind of gag gift or a gift to someone who takes things a little too seriously and you might want to bring a little levity to.

These also have a “sister product” which are also called Taboo Kinky Cuffs but these say Spank Me on them and are red.

Black “Pleasure”/Bondage Tape

I absolutely love Bondage Tape. This is actually my third roll of it, I’ve had another roll of black and currently have a roll of red in addition to this roll of black from PinkCherry. Bondage Tape is both discreet and extremely easy to use, so if you accidentally leave the roll out where others can see all they would see is a roll of black tape, not a bondage item.

Bondage Tape isn’t sticky to anything but itself, so you don’t have to worry about hair being pulled out or skin being irritated. However, it does stick to itself very easily, so it’s great for any quick bondage, though you should be sure to wrap it around multiple times as just once isn’t enough.

It’s also great for impromptu gags, especially panty gags or something similar, you can wrap it around the head easily to secure a gag and not have to worry about hair getting ripped out since it sticks to itself and not anything else.

Pleasure Masks

Last but not least, the Pleasure Masks, or blindfolds, are a really great deal. They are made of rather light fabric so they, again, aren’t heavy-duty but they definitely serve their purpose.

They do have a bit of fabric that actually goes over the bridge of the nose to keep light out, so the sliver of light that blindfolds often will let through is nonexistent with these if positioned correctly. This is wonderful because it creates complete sensory deprivation instead of partial and can help to but the bottom in the right mindset faster.

Since you get two to the pack you can color coordinate them to outfits, rope, or other bondage items if you like, or if you end up losing one of them you always have the other to use, which is handy if you often misplace things like I do.

Overall each of these items are a great deal at under $15 a piece. They are all sturdy, well-made, and easy to use while also being affordable. Much thanks to PinkCherry.Com for sending me these items, and duplicates of each of these items so I can give them away to you, my readers! Keep your eye out for the contest coming soon on Pleasurists and will be cross-posted here too.

Despite absolutely loving rope bondage I really have only owned one bondage book before now, The Erotic Bondage Handbook, which isn’t exactly for beginners. It has great information within it, but assumes you know knots and ties already, unlike Two Knotty Boys Showing You the Ropes. Two Knotty Boys is a rope bondage instruction manual that is wonderful for beginners because it not only explains how to do different knots which you may or may not already know, and 37 different ties, but it also has pictures with captions detailing each knot and tie so that you can follow along easily.

I had absolutely no trouble in following the step-by-step instructions in Two Knotty Boys Showing You the Ropes. It is extremely helpful for the visual learner, since it’s easy to duplicate what you see in the images.

The book is separated into six basic sections: Introduction, The Knots, Basic Bondage, Decorative Bondage, Dominance Bondage, and Sex Bondage. The introduction gives you some basic ideas about rope bondage safety and different types of rope so that you are fully aware of the tools you need and how to be safe before engaging in the techniques described in the later sections.

The Knots goes over a number of basic knots and weaves as well as more complex ones like the trinity (celtic) knot. I thought I would have trouble with some of them, but most of them were easy to duplicate on the first or second try due to the picture guides.

Basic Bondage includes a few basic restraints, a rope spreader bar (they call “basic wrap”), rope shackle, anke wrap, a harness, and a gorgeous “dragonfly sleeve” which is kind of like rope armbinders (though prettier). They are all, pretty much, exactly as it says: basic. These are ties that don’t really require huge amounts of experience or talent to pull off, they are simple and easy to follow, as is evidenced by the basic wrap I put on Onyx (see picture). However, just because they are basic doesn’t mean they are not pretty on the eye or useful.

Decorative Bondage is, well, filled with exactly that: bondage that is more for show than for functionality. It includes a corset, gauntlets (on the model on the front of the book), bra, panties, “good luck knot” harness (which is based around the “good luck knot” which is a five-sided knot–it is also on the model on the front of the book), and a bodysuit. Each compliments the wearer well, and while they are slightly more difficult than the basic bondage section they are also fairly easy once you get the knot techniques down. I made the panty which consists of a trinity knot (the celtic knot I mentioned earlier) and snake weave. It was very easy to make once I had the knot and weave down.

Dominance Bondage is more the type of bondage that we think of when wanting to tie someone up. It’s functional bondage that’s more intricate than the basic bondage but that can turn our willing victims into helpless slaves (or subs or bottoms as the case may be). It consists of three harnesses that don’t just decorate the body they also capture the wrists behind the back or neck, a hogtie, a bit gag, a bridle, and a “rope cage” which traps the body in a sort of rope bodysuit.

Sex Bondage is, well, exactly that. While there is a bit of overlap in Dominance Bondage and Sex Bondage, as much of Dominance Bondage could be used during sex, Sex Bondage focuses on affixing items to the rope wearer. It has a table top tie, two chair ties (kneeling facing the back of the chair, and sitting in the chair), and a rope strap-on harness. Each of these leave the wearer ready for sex, either open and unable to escape or with a new sex toy attached to fuck with.

All the ties are easy to do once you practice the knots a bit and with a willing and patient partner. I’ve only done a small amount of the ties that I hope and plan on doing, both on myself and on Onyx, but I feel more knowledgeable after reading through Two Knotty Boys Showing You the Ropes than I was before, and possibly ready to take on the first bondage book I bought after getting these basics down.

The best part about Two Knotty Boys Showing You the Ropes is that it is so accessible and easy beginners with little to no rope technique knowledge can pick it up and start rigging instantly. It makes fancy-looking ties and harnesses seem like a breeze to do. I would imagine it would be a great staple for intermediate or advanced riggers to have around the house as well, as it is much easier to follow than a text-only book.

With the holidays coming up, as well, it can make the perfect gift! You can get it for a loved one (or fuck buddy) as a hint that you would like to be tied up or tie them up. Or, if you know someone interested in rope bondage that hasn’t really given it a try it is the perfect book for them as well! As a gift or for yourself Two Knotty Boys Showing You the Ropes is a wonderful book with useful ties for all.